Australia Seeks Higher Fines for Social Media Platforms Over Accounts of Children Under 16

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said major technology companies are not doing enough to comply with the law.

Under the proposed bill, the maximum fine for social-media platforms that fail to prevent users under 16 from registering will rise to 99 million Australian dollars—about $68 million.

The bill will also allow the eSafety Commissioner to require social-media platforms to provide evidence of what measures they have taken to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts.

“It is clear that Big Tech is not doing enough to comply with the law—there are still too many children on social media,” Albanese said.

Australia’s regulator is already investigating possible violations by Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as well as Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

After the ban took effect in December, more than 5 million accounts were deactivated. However, a University of Newcastle study involving more than 400 teenagers found that more than 85% of participants under 16 had used social media within three months of the ban being introduced.

Australia’s rules have already prompted other countries to consider similar measures. More than two dozen states are considering or preparing their own restrictions, including Indonesia, Brazil and Canada.

This month, the United Kingdom proposed banning children under 16 from using social media and plans to introduce the relevant bill in parliament before Christmas.